A teacher at a private school in Brockton also reported having the flu, but there has been no official confirmation on that case yet.

Elaine Allegrini

Brockton High School parent Della Rita Jones said her daughter has not been stricken with the swine flu, but she still worries about contracting the illness.

“I’m concerned because I take public transportation,” Jones said Wednesday. “But there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Two cases of the swine flu virus have been confirmed in Brockton schools and one case confirmed in Stoughton.

The local cases of the H1N1 flu, as the illness is officially known, were confirmed through state testing. Results were received late last week and on Tuesday, according to local officials.

But attendance in Brockton and Stoughton schools apparently was not affected by the confirmed cases in the two communities.

At Brockton High School, where a case of the commonly called swine flu was confirmed Saturday, Principal Susan Szachowicz said attendance is 92 percent. And, in Stoughton schools it is 96 percent.

A case was also confirmed at an unidentified Brockton elementary school on Tuesday.

“Both (Brockton) students are doing fine and expected to return to school after seven days from the onset of symptoms,” said Louis Tartaglia, the city’s executive health director.

A teacher at a private school in Brockton also reported having the flu, according to Tartaglia, but he said the diagnosis has not been confirmed.

The state reported Wednesday that there are four confirmed cases in Plymouth County, one reported as recently as Wednesday. The location of that case was not available.

Stoughton is in Norfolk County, where there are 49 confirmed cases.

The state has recorded 413 cases of the H1N1 flu so far. The strain in the U.S. seems to be less severe than in Mexico.

“It’s a regular flu except that it spreads fast,” said Tartaglia. “People who have problems are ones who have underlying conditions along with the flu.”

Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, vomiting and/or diarrhea.

“Any students or staff who appear ill with flu-like symptoms should be isolated and sent home,” according to Tartaglia.

They should stay home at least seven days.”

Some doctors are recommending that anyone with symptoms stay home for the recommended seven days, while some are having the patients come in for testing, said Brockton schools spokesman James Hayden.

“We’re trying to educate parents as to what to look for,” he said.

Letters were sent home to all parents with advisories.

Alcohol-based hand cleaner has also been installed in all Brockton classrooms since the flu outbreak.

The schools are also taking cleaning precautions, making sure common areas, doorknobs and other frequently used areas are clean.

In Stoughton, all classrooms were sanitized as a precaution.

“We’re being hyper-cautious,” said Stoughton Assistant Superintendent Maggie Rizzi. “Medical advisers said disinfecting buildings is probably not necessary because the virus doesn’t live on surfaces more than a couple of hours.”

Stoughton parents were notified via the reverse 911 system, an added measure taken to provide facts and dispel any rumors, she added.